That kind of ambition may not sound like a tall order for this avid climber despite being 77 years old.
He has conquered many peaks in Malaysia over the years and is even listed in the Malaysia Book of Records as the oldest person to climb Mount Kinabalu in Sabah.
In an interview with FMT at the Penang Hospital yesterday, Amiruddin recalled his “sweetest memory” on top of Mount Kinabalu.
“I celebrated my 60th birthday on Low’s Peak, at the summit. A year later, I went up by the more challenging Mesilau trail to the top of Mount Kinabalu again.”
Asked on the secret to his health and vigour, Amiruddin says without hesitation, like a TV commercial: “It is the cod liver oil, I think (which he takes regularly).
“Realistically speaking, it will take me some time to fully recover from my surgery. Maybe at least a year before I can climb again. I still have the will and determination, so why not?”
Amiruddin, who hails from Batu Uban on the island, said he had climbed many hills in Indonesia and even a few in Mecca during his pilgrimage.
He described himself as an “intrepid travel adventurer” and hoped to travel more and discover more places.
“I also like to hunt ghosts,” Amiruddin quipped, saying he was fascinated by the supernatural.
He hasn’t caught any yet, but the adventurer in him means he will pursue that unusual interest when he gets better.
FMT spoke to Amiruddin when he was visited by Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and his wife Betty Chew at the hospital yesterday.
Amiruddin currently contributes articles to The Star’s Metro North section fortnightly, in which he reminisces on his experiences as a journalist, in a career spanning several decades.
He first worked for the defunct Straits Echo. After 10 years there, he joined The Star and served as a reporter for 19 years.
On retiring in 2000, he wrote for newspapers and other publications part-time for five years.
Currently, he is a guard assigned to a few office complexes, the last being Sunny Point in Bayan Baru.
Amiruddin’s younger son, Romi Erawan, 27, had advised his father to stop working, due to this deteriorating health.
“After we found out about his tumour, doctors told us his chances of survival were slim.
“But after the tumour was removed, he appears to be in high spirits and doctors told me he can be discharged.”
Romi and his sister, Emilia Erwani, 40, have not followed the career path of their father. She is a housewife while Romi is an engineering graduate seeking employment.
Amiruddin’s wife, Siti Zaleha Hashim, 54, is a housewife. She was not present during the interview as she was receiving dialysis treatment elsewhere in town.
Amiruddin was hospitalised for a week after his April 25 operation. Doctors have told him to return for a follow-up check next week.
On Malaysia’s current media environment, Amiruddin urged journalists to strive to do the right thing. “I do not want to wrong (anybody), I want to right the wrong. That is my principle.”
Asked if he wanted to return to the media world instead of carrying on as a security guard, he said: “I am like a hard chicken. People do not want to eat hard chicken.”